Chapter 72 – Catastrophe (Part One)

*Bang! Bang!*

Sera’s pistol spat fire, and the gunshots echoed through the dense forest.

She fired upon a flock of over several dozen Kurokus flying towards her, the bullets burrowing into their wounds.

The Kurokus staggered slightly from the impact but paid it no mind, continuing their charge at the same speed. Sera quickly dodged to the side.

*Swoosh!*

Like dozens of sharp blades attacking at once, they narrowly missed her, slicing through the trees and ground where she had just stood.

Standing on the ground that had instantly turned into a wasteland, Sera immediately turned to look at the Kurokus that had passed her.

The creatures, circling widely at high speed, were preparing to turn back and strike the ground again.

They would probably repeat this until they tore her to shreds.

*Snap!*

But Sera snapped her fingers, and the bullets embedded in their bodies reacted.

The bodies of the Kurokus with open wounds swelled up.

*BOOM!!*

The entire flock of Kurokus exploded, scattering hundreds of fleshy chunks in all directions. In the chain reaction of explosions, most were completely vaporized, leaving almost no trace behind.

“Haha, not bad, huh?”

Sera raised a hand to shield her eyes, watching the scene as if it were a fireworks display.

It was their habit to flock together with their own kind, even if they were new individuals. They never moved alone.

Other Awakened would have had a hard time, but for her, thanks to her ability, they were just easier targets.

Just then, an urgent shout came from behind.

“Watch out!”

“Whoa!”

A monstrous creature approached at incredible speed, and she rolled away in fright to avoid it.

After rolling once on the ground, she quickly reloaded the magazine of the pistol in her left hand and looked back at where the monster had passed.

*Kweeeek!*

A giant flying beast with fluttering brown feathers was twisting and turning wildly in the air.

The creature, at least three or four times larger than the other monsters on site, was a B-rank ace monster, the Karaka.

Its three large pairs of wings churned the sky, and behind it, a phoenix completely covered in flames was in hot pursuit.

Riding on the back of the phoenix, which had grown to nearly the same size as the larger creature, was Il-hyeon.

“Just stop!”

Il-hyeon gritted his teeth.

The wind whipped against his face as they moved at high speed, his collar flapping violently.

The creature had been fleeing from the start, so its speed was the biggest problem.

It was difficult to subdue smoothly because it flew through the sky and was incredibly agile.

The eyes of the gumiho on Il-hyeon’s shoulder glowed, and the flames it created in the air swept toward the Karaka, but they didn’t easily connect.

So, Il-hyeon placed a small wolf on one of his hands and threw it forcefully towards the Karaka.

The small wolf, curled up tightly, flew like a ball.

And as it neared the Karaka, it stretched its body out, its size swelling to something completely different from before.

The wolf, now as large as its opponent, pounced on the Karaka, clawing and biting at its wings and back.

The creature shrieked, lost its balance, and plummeted with the wolf.

*Crash!*

As they crashed loudly to the ground, breaking several trees, Il-hyeon immediately changed direction and descended.

The Karaka barely managed to shake off the relentlessly clinging wolf and tried to take flight again.

In response, Il-hyeon quickly used his transformation ability to create dozens of shackles and clamped them onto the creature’s feet.

Above it, the phoenix, its flames now turned blue, flew in and collided with the Karaka.

*Crack!*

The chill of the blue flames froze the creature solid.

Il-hyeon, who had leaped from the phoenix’s back, fell directly onto the head of the Karaka, which now looked like a giant ice sculpture.

He brought his sword down with the momentum of his fall, and the frozen monster shattered into pieces.

Having finally caught the creature after a relentless chase, an exhausted Il-hyeon staggered to his feet and brought a hand to his ear.

“Hoo… one Karaka dealt with on the east side.”

***

On the white sandy beach, the corpses of monsters were scattered around a woman holding a blood-soaked sword.

Joo Hye-jin, the sensory ability user of B-Team, heard Il-hyeon’s transmission and looked down at her palm.

*Squeak, squeak!*

Il-hyeon’s mouse was perched on her hand, sniffing and tickling her palm.

After cutting off the head of the last remaining monster, Joo Hye-jin slowly closed her eyes and transmitted her thoughts into the mouse’s mind.

The location data of the ace monsters inside the island.

It was very specific and intuitive information, directly implanted into its mind, making it far more accurate and less prone to confusion than simply looking at a GPS.

The information transmitted to the mouse was then relayed directly into Il-hyeon’s mind.

Normally, her ability required physical contact, like holding hands or placing a hand on someone’s head, but Il-hyeon could connect to Joo Hye-jin’s mind through his summons alone.

He was the first exception of this kind.

*He’s getting stronger by the day…*

Joo Hye-jin thought as she once again slowly read the energies on the island.

It was none other than Il-hyeon’s energy that was growing rapidly every time she saw him.

At first, considering the level of his energy and the lack of anything particularly special, she had thought there was nothing remarkable about him.

But after a few joint operations with him, she realized her prediction had been completely wrong.

Others might not fully grasp Il-hyeon’s growth, gauging it only by what they could see or by his rank on a meter, but for Joo Hye-jin, who could perceive his level with her sensory ability, his development was immediately apparent.

As someone who could vaguely sense hidden potential or unique abilities, she wondered why she had missed those things in Il-hyeon.

Just then, Joo Hye-jin suddenly froze.

She felt a foreign energy.

It was a monster not detected by the GPS, and its energy was quite powerful.

-Wait… a large energy signature not picked up by the satellite is heading towards the center. Be careful.

“Yes, understood!”

Heo Yu-ra answered confidently as Joo Hye-jin spoke through the communicator.

Then she turned her head and glanced sideways.

At the end of her gaze was Hyeon-seo, concentrating intently.

Heo Yu-ra’s expression was clearly one of displeasure as she watched.

*Do I really have to be here cleaning up after her?*

The two were assigned to the same team and tied together for the mission.

Although Hyeon-seo possessed a tremendous ability, she had to expend a great deal of power to cover such a vast area.

Because of that, she couldn’t move from her spot while deploying her force field ability, and it was Heo Yu-ra’s duty to protect her and deal with the swarming monsters.

Indeed, a considerable number of monsters were approaching the center, and a significant pile of corpses had accumulated around them.

But she was dissatisfied with the role she had been given.

Heo Yu-ra had been just as surprised by Hyeon-seo’s ability.

Creating a force field of that size was undoubtedly an incredible power.

But her stubborn mind denied it.

She told herself it was an ability that would shatter easily if it encountered a slightly stronger monster.

It was common sense that something of this size couldn’t also be strong, so she forced herself to think that way.

*Right, she probably couldn’t have gotten in here without any ability at all. But to think she’s occupying a spot with just this kind of power.*

Lee Soo-yeon had put them together, thinking Heo Yu-ra would come to acknowledge Hyeon-seo’s ability after seeing it, but Heo Yu-ra’s judgment was more lacking than expected.

She thought that this was Hyeon-seo’s only useful ability, which was why she was always stuck in a corner on every mission, guarded by a teammate.

An ability-focused Awakened who lacked the individual combat skills that were essential for a member of Aegis.

“Thank you.”

“You can talk in the middle of this?”

“Of course.”

Despite Heo Yu-ra’s cold expression and attitude, Hyeon-seo still replied with a bright smile.

Heo Yu-ra didn’t know if she was too dense to notice the disdain or if she was just enduring it, but it only made things more convenient for her.

She was only dealing with the monsters because it was a mission she hated, and she sneered inwardly at Hyeon-seo for thanking her for it.

*Rumble!*

Suddenly, the ground rumbled violently.

Heeding Joo Hye-jin’s warning, Heo Yu-ra watched the sky, but no monster came from that direction.

*BOOM!*

The ground beneath them erupted as if in a violent explosion, sending Heo Yu-ra and Hyeon-seo flying.

And from within it, a monster revealed itself.

The upper body of a massive creature covered in black fur emerged, staring at them.

It was an A-rank mutant of the Karaka.

With its grotesque appearance, the creature, which could hardly be called a bird anymore, swung its arm, its ominous red eyes glowing. Heo Yu-ra raised her sword to block the attack.

The force was far greater than she expected, and because her stance wasn’t properly set, her knee hit the ground.

“Kugh!”

Heo Yu-ra quickly disengaged from the crushing weight and tried to charge back in for a counterattack.

But the monster seemed uninterested in fighting on the surface and simply turned its head and burrowed back into the ground.

Heo Yu-ra was baffled by the monster’s retreat but also thought it was a relief.

The monster’s level was dangerous for her to face alone.

But it wasn’t over.

*Whip!*

“Agh!”

From the ground torn up by the monster’s appearance, several tentacles shot out and grabbed Hyeon-seo’s ankle.

The thin tentacles wrapped around her ankle and pulled her with immense force.

“Ugh!”

Dragged across the ground, Hyeon-seo managed to hold on by grabbing the edge of a cliff.

Even as she was being pulled down, she maintained her ability, keeping the force field from breaking.

But the cliff she was holding onto with one hand began to crack.

Heo Yu-ra reflexively ran and reached out to grab her.

And just as she was about to cut the tentacles with the hand holding her sword and pull Hyeon-seo back up, she stopped and hesitated.

A small, wicked thought crossed Heo Yu-ra’s mind.

“Pull me up, quickly! At this rate, the barrier will…”

Hyeon-seo said urgently, confused by Heo Yu-ra’s incomprehensible hesitation.

Not only was her concentration wavering, but her position was unstable. It was obvious that if the force field broke, the nearby islands would suffer immense damage.

But Heo Yu-ra was busy contemplating what would happen if an ‘unfortunate accident’ were to occur.

*If something like that happens on my first mission, my reputation will surely take a hit.*

If Hyeon-seo died here, the image of an incompetent person who couldn’t protect her colleague would be stamped on her for a while.

For Heo Yu-ra, who wanted to make the best possible impression after joining Aegis, such a first impression was not desirable.

*Still… it wouldn’t be a total loss, would it?*

She had finally joined the Aegis of her dreams. It was better to just kill her here and now than to spend years cleaning up after an incompetent teammate.

If she died cleanly like this, there would be no evidence, and the unexpected mutant monster provided a convenient excuse.

The barrier blocking the sky would disappear, and the residents would suffer, but that didn’t matter to her.

She just wanted to become stronger and gain social recognition.

At first, she had felt sorry for them, but after countless missions, she no longer felt anything even when citizens dropped dead.

*Thwack!*

A smirk curling on her lips, Heo Yu-ra violently shook off the hand she was holding.